Ambassador de Maigret among the Italian Air Force personnel deployed on the Baltic Air Policing mission
The Italian contingent in Šiauliai received a visit from the Ambassador of Italy to the Republic of Lithuania, Emanuele de Maigret, accompanied by the Defence Attaché for the Baltic Republics, Colonel Giovanni Trebisonda.
The Commander of Task Force Air 36th Wing, Colonel Michele Nasto, welcomed the guests at the detachment's Command building and gave a presentation on the purpose, contingent and assets used for the mission Baltic Air Policing.
The visit then continued on the flight line where pilots and specialists of the’Italian Air Force they showed the delegation the Eurofighter Typhoon, multi-role aircraft used for the specific mission.
During the visit, Col. Michele Nasto wanted to emphasise that: “Defence and diplomacy are two complementary tools available to States to guarantee their security and promote their interests in the world. Deterrence and cooperation, today more than ever, cannot exist without one another, and an integrated approach to them is essential to seek peaceful solutions to the increasingly complex challenges of international politics.“
The strength of relations between Italy and Lithuania, as well as through bilateral relations, also goes through common membership of’European Union and to NATO. Right within the framework of’North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Allied nations are committed, on a rotational basis, to guaranteeing the security of the airspace of the three Baltic Republics through operations known as Baltic Air Policing, to which Italy has contributed on several occasions. In recent months, an Italian contingent, the Task Force Air 36th Wing “Baltic Thunder II”, equipped with Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role aircraft, has been leading the mission, operating from the Šiauliai air base, located in the north of the country and the operational headquarters of the Lithuanian Air Force.
In his greeting address, Ambassador de Maigret stated: “I am extremely honoured to be here with you today; your work is extremely delicate and probably few people are fully aware of how crucial your mission is here, for Lithuania, for Italy and for NATO. You are the spearhead of a process that has deep roots and integrates diplomacy and defence. Security, for obvious geopolitical reasons, is a particularly deeply felt issue and your activity is of vital importance. Be proud of what you are doing, at least as much as I am of you.”
